Residents in North Lewisburg approved an income tax to provide additional policing in the village by a 262-226 vote Tuesday.
The .75% income tax will allow the North Lewisburg Police Department to provide full-time coverage in the village.
“The amount of support that we have received from our small community is very heartwarming,” North Lewisburg Chief Scott Bodey said.
The department currently has local officers on the streets 80 hours per week. The hours of patrol vary and are scheduled randomly.
“Our small village has received nearly 1,000 calls for service in the village of North Lewisburg within the last 12 months,” Bodey said. “I foresee this only increasing in the future and there is comfort in knowing we will have an officer ready to respond when needed.”
The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office is available to respond to calls when North Lewisburg officers aren’t available, under the current design. Bodey said relying on the sheriff’s department isn’t the best way to ensure a quick response.
“This is by no-fault of the Champaign County Sheriff’s Department,” Bodey said. “They have a large county to cover and may not be readily available to respond to our corner of the county due to other emergencies or distance.”
Bodey and village officials began discussing the additional expense of full-time coverage in April.
To staff the department full-time the agency will have provide 168-hours of staffing, 24-hours per day, seven days a week.
The chief said one of two staffing scenarios would allow the department to cover the hours. The department could opt for two full-time officers and seven or eight part-time officers or the department could use three full-time and five or six part-time officers.
Bodey said the village estimates it will need to generate an additional $236,848 annually to fund a fully staffed department, which should be covered by the .75% income tax.
He said this expense would cover all costs associated with the police department from payroll, vehicle maintenance, supplies, operations, licensing and contracts.
The Village of North Lewisburg has agreed to cover any additional expenses out of its general fund, he said.
“I feel that a full-time agency will be more than beneficial, not just for the village, but for the surrounding area, to include Champaign, Logan and Union County Sheriff’s Department,” Bodey said. “The surrounding area communities are growing quickly.
“With a larger population forming around our village, comes a larger potential for more crime in and around North Lewisburg.”